Click
popularity
Click popularity measures the relevence of search results by monitoring
user behaviour from the search results. If a user clicks on a result
and returns to the SERPs within a short period, the site is viewed
as less relevant and downgraded in the rankings. Similarly, if click-through
rates on the first page of results are low and users are having
to click through to the second or third page to find relevant results,
this is taken into consideration when re-ordering results.

Click popularity algorithms are one of the most effective ways
of presenting relevant search results. However, they are vulnerable
to manipulation by click-bots which attempt to artificially boost
click-through rates.

A pioneer in click popularity was Direct Hit. Elements of the Direct
Hit algorithm are still used by Ask Jeeves.

Cloaking (IP delivery)
Cloaking is the method of using a script on the web server to serve
highly optimised pages to search engine spiders and different pages
to a normal user. This is done in order to present the search engine
spiders with key phrase rich text that might be beneficial for search
engine positioning purposes. It is also used to hide SEO work from
the competition. Cloaking is mainly used in very competitive markets.
Search engine spiders can be identified by their user-agent strings
or by their IP addresses. Cloaking is considered as unacceptable
practice by all major search engines because it can mislead their
users. Webmasters employing cloaking are engaged in a constant game
of cat-and-mouse as they attempt to keep up with the IP addresses
employed by the search engines.

Clustering
Clustering is the grouping of results from one domain under one
listing in search engine results pages. This is to prevent multiple
pages from one site appearing many times in the results. There is
often a 'More results from this site' link to allow the viewing
of these.

Not to be confused with a clustering engine.

Clustering engine
A clustering engine is a search engine which automatically groups
search results into related themes. This can help focus results
for ambigiuous terms. For example, a search for 'blues' might present
the themes 'music', 'Oxford rowing team' and 'depression'. Choosing
a theme will present results only in this area. A well known clustering
engine is Vivisimo, and AltaVista uses a clustering engine called
Prisma.

Cross-linking
Cross-linking is the practice over-using links between a network
of sites to artificially inflate link popularity and thus rankings.
Google has updated its algorithm to identify clusters of sites which
are strongly linked together but not well linked to the rest of
the web, and applies a penalty to these sites. Many innocent sites
have been affected by this cross-linking penalty as it is a common
practice to link to a corporate headquarters from every page of
a subsidiary site.

Directories
Directories are a subject guide, typically organised by major topics
and sub-topics. The best-known directory is the one at Yahoo!. The
biggest directory is the Open Directory Project, which has members
of the public editing the categories. Many other sites now use a
Yahoo-like directory including major portal sites.

Directories use human editors to review a site's subject matter
and quality, and for this reason are considered authorities by other
search engines which use directory listings to categorise their
own indices.

Gateway
pages, doorway pages, hallway pages
Gateway Pages are special highly optimised web pages that are created
in order to rank well when a user enters a certain key phrase, or
search term, into a search engine. This optimization is achieved
by inserting the key phrases at strategic places in the html code
and text on the page. Gateway pages are not designed to be integrated
into the web site, but to serve as a "gateway" into the
web site. The use of gateway pages is no longer considered to be
good SEO practice as these pages very often are machine generated
in order to gain rankings and serve no purpose to the user.

Google dance
The 'Google dance' was a term used by search engine marketers to
describe the several days of instability of search results in Google
as it was rolling its latest database update out across its many
servers. A white-knuckle ride for SEO companies as they waited to
see if their sites had gone up or down... However, as of March 2003,
Google moved over to a rolling update effectively putting the dance
to an end.

Indexing
The process by which search engines collect information and include
it into their database of search results. The process involves extracting
the machine-readable text from web pages, and storing it in a format
that can be efficiently searched. Indexing is carried out by search
engine spiders.

Indices
Indices are search engines that automatically crawl the Internet
for web page and news group content. Due to the automated nature
of indices they can contain a huge amount of information that is
regularly updated every time the search engine spiders new content.
The major search engine indices include Google, Yahoo and Teoma.

Key
phrase, keyword
A key phrase is a group of keywords which appear in the content
of a site page. In order for a search engine to return a page in
it list of results, it is vital that the targeted search terms appear
as key phrases in the web site copy with the appropriate weighting
so that its algorithm will find the page a suitable match. A good
SEO will have experience in ensuring the copy of the page is optimised
for the targeted search terms while still providing useful and informative
copy for the user.

"Key phrase" is often (incorrectly) used interchangeably
with "search term".

Landing
page
A landing page is the page within a website that a user arrives
at when entering a website. The page a user lands on from a search
engine’s sponsored listing can be controlled by the destination
URL that relates to each separate Ad or Search Term.

The most effective landing pages are 'deep-linked' to the page
on the site that is most relevant to the user's search. A deep-linked
landing page will therefore make the user's experience as smooth
as possible and should improve conversion rates.

Link farm
A link farm is a set of web pages specifically set up to increase
the number of links between websites and hence their link popularity.

Recent studies on the link structure of the Internet suggest that
natural linking results in 'communities' of websites, all sharing
roughly the same theme. Link farms, on the other hand, do not consist
of 'naturally' found links, neither do they reflect specific themes.
Link farms are therefore considered un-natural by search engines,
and as such have been actively targeted in anti-spam policies, resulting
in penalties for those websites that are link farm members. Link
Farms should be avoided.

Link equity
An important factor in search engine optimization? and Google's
simple but brilliant contribution to web search. Popular or relevant
pages will are assumed to have more incoming? links from other websites,
a type of 'vote of confidence' in the websites integrity and usefullness.?
Websites that are well linked within the sector rank higher than
sites that are not.

Additionally, link? equity is an important factor in combatting
search spam as it is? difficult to manipulate artificially, and
is thus less open to abuse.

Link equity is calculated firstly by counting the amount of websites
that link to yours. However, more links do not necessarily mean
better rankings as search engines also measure the quality of these
incoming links. If your site enjoys links from other well-linked
sites then your link? equity is further enhanced.

Additionally, some search engines, for example Google, are increasingly
attempting to refine their linking calculations by paying attention
to the 'theme' of a link. Some new search engines, like Teoma, are
taking this a step further and only counting links within certain
web 'communities' of similar themed websites.

Meta
search engine
A Meta Search Engine compiles its results from many different search
engines and returns them in one combined listing. An up-and-coming
Meta search engine is Vivisimo. Other well-known meta search engines
are IxQuick and Dogpile.

Many surfers use Meta search engines as a convenient way to collate
the best results from many different sources. In fact, many surfers
don't even realise they are using Meta search engines. A general
trend has developed in the last couple of years, whereby some search
engines will combine a number of different sources for their results.
For example, Freeserve currently uses Overture and Yahoo! to enhance
its listings.

Meta tags
Meta tags are pieces of information, invisible to the surfer, that
are coded in the HTML of a page in order to describe the content
of a page to a search engine spider or other bot.

It is a common misperception that the use of Mata Tags ensures
good search engine positioning. Nowadays the 'Keywords' Meta Tag
is a minor part of most search engine algorithms - some, such as
Google, do not even consider it at all.

Most search engines use the 'Meta Description' html tag as a short
description of the page when it is presented in a search results
page. It is, therefore, important to ensure that this Meta Tag contains
a readable, punchy, and interesting description of the pages content
- this can give a real boost to the click through rates from listings
in search results.

Off-page
optimization
In addition to on-page factors, search engines are increasingly
using off-page factors to calculate relevance. This is because off-page
factors are more difficult to manipulate artificially.

The most important off-page factor is link popularity. Others include
link text, link community and click popularity. Off-page optimization
involves ensuring that these elements are in place to boost relevance
for the targetted terms.

On-page optimization
Search engines use several factors in their ranking algorithms,
one of which is on-page factors. These are elements which actually
appear on the page (such as page title, headings and body text)
and contribute to the engines's assessment of the subject matter
and relevance of the page. On-page optimization involves ensuring
that these factors are optimally included for the targetted search
terms.

Organic search listing
A website’s position within the Organic Search results, also
referred to as 'Natural Search' results, is determined by an automated
calculation, sometimes referred to as the search engine algorithm.
This is the process that determines how results are ranked when
a user makes a search query. There are a variety of different search
engine algorithms, factors that may influence your organic search
position include:

The way a website's design is architectured.

The content available to the search engine.

The link community or link popularity of the website.

The popularity of the website.

How long the website has been established.

Organic search results should form the core of a search marketing
strategy, complemented by strategic paid search campaigns.

Pay
for inclusion (PFI)
Pay For Inclusion is a method of ensuring that individual web pages
are reliably and regularly spidered and included into a search engine's
database. Search engines are increasingly offering this option for
inclusion as it offers them a revenue stream.

PFI offers a solution to the problem of sites with dynamic URLs
that search engine may not be able to index. And, as the pages are
refreshed every 48 hours, they can help ensure content in the indices
is up to date.

Paying for inclusion does NOT influence the ranking of a page once
it is included in the database. You are ONLY paying for the search
engine to spider your page. Examples of PFI services are those offered
by search engines such as AltaVista, FAST and Teoma.

Pay per click (PPC)
Pay Per Click search engines offer a 'bid-based' service in which
top positions are auctioned for specific keywords. The highest bidder
for a chosen keyword normally ranks highest in the search engine
results. The price of the bid is charged to the advertiser whenever
a user clicks on their entry.

Positions are separated from the main natural search results and
are normally designated as 'sponsored links' or 'sponsored sites'.

PPC advertising is a fast growing search marketing channel due
to its highly responsive and measurable nature. As more advertisers
enter the market and click costs continue to rise, managing your
Paid Search campaign strategically will be crucial to your brands
success in this volatile but rewarding search channel.

Ranking
algorithm
The methodology by which search engines calculate positioning results.
Ranking algorithms can be influenced by a wide variety of factors
including domain name, spiderable content, submission practices,
HTML code and link popularity. Search engine ranking algorithms
are closely guarded and constantly updated to attempt to filter
out those sites which attempt to manipulate the results.

Search
engine optimization (SEO)
Search engine optimization is the process of optimising a website
or web page to increase its visibility within the search engine
results.

Search engine optimization entails making sure that there is content
relevant to the targeted key phrases on the web site, and that search
engine spiders can find this content easily. Good search engine
optimization will ensure that this content is also useful to the
user. Without relevant content, SEO techniques can only be partially
successful, and will probably stray into the wrong side of search
engine Acceptable Use Policies. See also 'ranking algorithms'.

Search engine placement is achieved by a combination of on-page
SEO, link building and ensuring the site is included in the correct
search engine databases to reach the target market. It may also
involve other strategies such as Pay Per Click campaigns or Trusted
Feeds. Simply increasing occurrences of key phrases will not, in
itself, lead to higher rankings.

Search engine placement techniques are constantly evolving as new
search engines emerge to target different markets and new inclusion
methods are introduced.

Search engine positioning
Search Engine Positioning, also known as Search Engine optimization
(SEO), is a phrase to describe the practice of positioning a web
site within the search engine results.

A multitude of techniques are involved in successful search engine
positioning. Not only must a web site be optimised, but it's link
popularity must also be built. Good visibility in directories must
be gained and other search engine marketing techniques pursued,
such as Pay Per Click campaigns.

Search engine positioning has evolved over the last few years.
While initially involving only search engine optimization, the industry
has grown to include a whole array of additional techniques.

Search engine submission
Search engine submission is the process by which one makes search
engines aware that ones website is ready to be indexed by the search
engine spiders. In general search engines spider the web on a regular
basis, and will eventually find your web site by following a link
from a site already within its index. It is sometimes necessary
however to manually submit a new site which has not been linked,
or to use a paid for inclusion process to ensure quick inclusion
into the database.

The search engine submission process involves going to a specified
section of the search engine web site (the "Add URL" page)
and inputting details which can include those web pages that one
requires to be spidered. The term 'submission' also covers the process
of requesting a listing in the directories.

Search term
A search term is the word or phrase entered by a user into a search
engine in order to perform a search. The search engine or directory
then uses its algorithm to search its database of pages or sites
to find a matching key phrase and return a list of results. Users
may enter general search terms, such as "insurance", or
they may enter more focused terms, such as "uk insurance brokers".

A properly focused search term set forms the core of a good search
engine positioning strategy and it is important to ensure that these
are reflected in the actual content on the website. A search engine
promotion that targets popular but relevant search terms has the
advantage of driving targeted traffic, which can result in high
conversion rates.

Gaining knowledge of the general trends and habits of searchers,
and having experience of the complexities of search term selection,
can make the difference between search engine promotion failure
or success.

SEO - Search Engine Optimization
SEO is the abbreviation for 'Search Engine Optimization'. SEO is
normally used to describe the process of manipulating a website's
pages in order for them to rank higher in search engine indices.

Successful SEO can result in a site, which features prominently
in a major search engine such as Google or MSN, delivering a significant
amount of new visitors. SEO can contribute to the overall success
of your website marketing.

The process of SEO can involve changing a web page's content and
html code so that a search engine 'spider' can find specific information
more easily. Additionally, SEO occasionally involves the re-coding
of a websites linking architecture.

SEO combined with a set of targeted 'Key Phrases' (search terms
people are using in search engines) can result in your website gaining
high positioning for your most popular products or services. Furthermore,
SEO can help target users focused to your area of expertise, enhancing
user experience and eliminating excess unwanted click-throughs.

SEO is a key element in the online marketing of a website as it
can help potential visitors find the information they are searching
for before discovering a competitor's site.

SEO can also be known as 'Search Engine Positioning' or SEOR 'Search
Engine optimization & Registration'.

SERPs
SERPs is an acronym for 'Search Engine Results Pages'. A term that
has been adopted by the search engine promotion community, this
alludes to the list of search results returned from an enquiry.
These usually consist of 10-15 results by default. It is important
to have a search engine optimization campaign that gains listings
in the first 3 SERPs. 65% of click-throughs come from the first
SERP.

Not to be confused with State Earnings Related Pension Scheme!

Spamming
Spamming, in general, is an attempt to feed misleading information
to search engines in order to gain favourable positioning.

Search engines view spamming seriously, as it compromises the quality
of their results. Unfortunately there is no exact definition of
what is spam and what is not - and search engines disagree between
each other, and often change their own definition of spamming a
number of times in one year!

Here are MSN Search's spam guidelines:

"The following items and techniques are not appropriate uses
of the MSN Search index. Use of these items and techniques may affect
how your site is ranked within MSN Search and may result in the
removal of your site from the index.

Loading pages with irrelevant words in an attempt to increase
a page's keyword density. This includes stuffing ALT tags that
users are unlikely to view.

Using hidden text or links. You should use only text and links
that are visible to users.

Using techniques to artificially increase the number of links
to your page, such as link farms."

Spiders
Spiders are automatic programs that search engine indices use to
catalogue the web and include into their databases. Spiders find
web pages either by working through pages deliberately submitted
to them, or by following links between web pages. They are often
called by quirky names; for example, Google's spider is called 'googlebot',
Yahoo!'s is 'slurp', AltaVista's is 'scooter'.

Spiders have difficulty following certain HTML code, in fact they
can be thought of as very primitive browsers. Spiders cannot follow
JavaScript links or index content in images. Professional search
engine optimization should remove these obstacles and utilise code
that allows spiders to freely roam the web site.

Sponsored listings
Sponsored listings are listings within search engine results pages
which have been paid for by advertising sites. These generally have
to be marked as such to differentiate them from normal search results
after a class-action suit was brought against several major search
engines for misleading their users. Sponsored listings are often
supplied by pay per click engines such as Overture or Google Ads.

Text
optimization
Text optimization is the process of constructing a website page
that will be seen by search engines specifically to promote the
relevancy of a certain key phrase. Good text optimization should
not utilise random key phrases, but should maximise the value of
existing content, such as specific informational topics or product
information.
Traffic site

Traffic sites are sites built solely with the purpose of obtaining
rankings in search engines. They generally consist of nothing but
doorway pages and are designed to snare search engine traffic and
pass it on to the main web site. Unscrupulous search engine optimisers
often use many traffic sites which are extensively cross-linked
to manipulate link popularity. This technique is also known as 'domain
spamming' and is forbidden by all search engine terms of use. The
use of this technique is a sure way of earning a ban from the index.

Google is growing increasingly adept at identifying clusters of
traffic sites which use this technique to hoard link popularity,
and removing them from its index.

Trusted feed
A trusted feed is a method of supplying website content from a large
dynamically generated web site (for instance an ecommerce site with
a large product catalogue) to a search engine database. Many crawling
engines have difficulty in indexing content from these types of
sites because of their dynamic URLs and frequent updates, and hence
offer a trusted feed as a way for companies to include their catalogues
into the search database. The site pays for any subsequent referrals
by the click.